Car Accident in Cambodia

One day into Cambodia and we ended up in an ambulance. No life long injuries or anything, just a 3 inch gash on my head and a hopefully once-in-a-lifetime experience. Definitely the scariest moment of our lives, here's the story:

We arrived late Siem Reap, Cambodia and went to bed early. We planned to get up before sunrise and hire a taxi to take us to Angkor Wat, one of the seven wonders of the world just a few kilometers north of the city. So we did exactly that, got up at 4:30am and were on the road to Angkor Wat by 5 in the pitch black.

Taxis in Cambodia are not cars like back home. They're not even called taxis, they're called tuk-tuks. Passengers of Cambodian tuk-tuks sit in seats on a small trailer that is pulled by a motorbike. The trailer has no surrounding walls or windshield or anything, but has a closed roof with metal bars that stretch across the top. See for yourself in the photos.

As our tuk-tuk driver went over a speedbump, the trailer dislodged and nose-dive crashed into the pavement. Chris was shot out headfirst through the front out onto the pavement upon which his head, arms and hip took the impact. I was shot headfirst into a metal beam across the roof that had plunged down in front of me in the crash. I was dazed and shocked after my head hit but lucky it didn't knock me unconscious. I was still in the tuk-tuk after the crash and I could see my brother still half in the trailer. For the moment, I wasn't sure if he was being crushed by the tuk-tuk at the waist or if he had any serious head or upper body injuries. I couldn't see above his waist from where I was, I didn't know if he was conscious. Scariest moment of my life #1.

I quickly climbed out of the tuk-tuk and by the time I was out he had crawled out too. He said he thought he was ok. I knew it was a good sign that we were both conscious, but we still weren't sure if we had any serious injuries or not. Adrenaline was high and we were pretty stunned so we had to check ourselves for major injuries on the side of the road. Feeling the pain in my head, I put my hand up there and felt the wetness in my hair, but it was still so dark that I couldn't tell if that wetness, now on my hand, was blood or not. It wasn't until I felt the warmth of the blood falling down my face that I realized there was a potentially serious injury on my head. The rate at which blood fell onto my hands was alarming and I knew I needed a hospital quickly. Scariest moment of my life #2.

The street we were on was not in the city, there were no buildings around. But lucky for us, there was a tiny tourist police kiosk thing in a dirt field across the street. About half a dozen officers rushed us across the street and sat us down on little plastic chairs in the dirt field. They shone flashlights in my face to look at the wound. At this point everyone could see it but me and none of them spoke english. I felt really helpless, I had to just watch their panic and hope for the best. Several hands were wiping my head and face with alcohol swabs, some to clean the blood out of my face and eyes while others put pressure on the gash.

Chris was hurt too, definitely hit his head hard, but he was lucky to have more minor injuries distributed along his body. I drew the short straw, having the entire impact of the crash in one spot (not a scratch elswhere!). He managed to get a look at my head gash and assured me that it would definitely need to be stitched right away, but that it should be fine.

Just when I thought the situation was improving, suddenly Chris's legs shot forward and his head went back. He lost consciousness out of nowhere and I could see the leg of his little plastic chair starting to buckle. I hurried out of my chair to grab him under the shoulders from behind while some of the officers, also realizing that Chris was about to hit the dirt, helped guide his body off the chair to the ground. This part was terrifying. Despite being unconscious, his eyes were wider than normal and he had a frighteningly blank stare that you could tell was actually looking at nothing. He was having a seizure. It wasn't a violent seizure, but it was nonetheless terrifying. I gently held his head straight while the officers were trying to wake him up. Scariest moment of my life #3. After about 10-15 seconds he snapped out of it. He got up and felt ok, relatively speaking. A couple of the officers stuck with Chris, some sat me back down and re-cleaned fresh blood off my face, and others called an ambulance.

An ambulance came after about 20 minutes. When I saw it roll up, my first thought (after relief) was that it looked like the scooby doo van, but covered in solid light green rather than hippie flowers. When I got into the ambulance shaggy and scoob were nowehere to be found, confirming that I was not in a cartoon. They had me climb into the back and lay on the stretcher by myself and no one checked for head and neck injuries! I might as well have got picked up in some soccer mom's fat honda with her back seats folded down. The Sunny D would have been refreshing too. But I should give them more credit, they brought me to a doctor after all. Still, I've learned first hand that emergency standards in 3rd world Cambodia are very different than back home. Cars don't all rush out of the way either, and the stretcher didn't have straps or seat belts of any kind. If that thing crashed I'd have been doubly-eff'd. But Chris put it well, lightning doesn't strike the same place twice.

They didn't take me to the international hospital though, they took me to a small emergency care clinic. It looked a bit sketchy to me at first, but it was well equipped. The doctor had local anesthetic (thank god) and sterilized, packaged equipment. I climbed on the operating table and from there could only guess at what they were doing up there. They couldn't speak any english beyond hello and thank you, and my Cambodian was no better. But I knew what was going on when he pulled out scissors and cut my hair to the scalp. For those of you who urged me to shave my head before this trip, you've got your wish. They froze it, stitched it and wrapped it. Good thing I bought that travel health insurance. Worth it! To the right is a picture of me in the clinic afterwards pretending to look comfortable.

Chris and I felt surprisingly good afterwards, just minor headaches for a day or two. No big concussions or anything. We consulted doctors back home too and all is well. I still have to wear a bandage around my head to prevent the cut from getting infected. I guess the thin metal bar scalped me a bit, you can imagine from the shape of the cut in the picture. Made for a definite scar, but at least its in the shape of a smile! This also unfortunately continues my annual head injury streak though. Fingers crossed this was the climax.


Our tuk-tuk driver was so upset at what he had done, so he invited us for dinner. It was really cool to meet his family and learn about their struggles. We learned about the plight of poor Cambodians and about the impact that their country's recent genocide had on him and his family. But that's a whole new post. I'll leave that for another time.

Laos

After the toilet building in Thailand's northern Hill Tribes we were ready for another stint of adventure. We hopped over the border into Laos and boarded a boat on the famous Mekong River. The boat took two full days to arrive at our destination, Luang Prabang.
 
On the slowboat we met a German guy named Dirk who we ended up rooming and traveling with through our entire week and a half in Laos. We went from a team of two to three. A cool thing about backpacking: you meet so many like-minded people from all over the world. And I don't know what it is, but the Germans we've met have all been particularly cool.

The best part about Luang Prabang was talking to Buddhist monks and learning about their meditation practice and their views on life. We found some monks studying English and chatted with them all afternoon. Every monk we met was very welcoming and gave off the most calm vibes. And they're as dedicated as they are approachable. They only eat in the morning, never after 12pm. They do chants, temple chores and meditation every day. They shave their heads and eyebrows once a month to symbolize their liberation from vanity. I studied science, Chris studied anthropology, these guys study how to be good people and live modest lives. They're pretty incredible people.

We learned that every morning at dawn the locals line the streets to offer food to the monks, its called collecting the morning alms. The morning alms serve to a) supply monks with food since they're not allowed to handle any money to purchase food with, and b) to give the locals the opportunity to do a good deed every day to generate good karma. The pictures below are from the morning alms.

The only troubling thing about our discussion with the monks was learning about the impact tourism has had on them. Tourism in Luang Prabang has grown so much in last few years that a huge number of locals have moved out to more rural villages. Their properties have been replaced by tons of guesthouses, restaurants, bars, etc, many of which are run by western owners. As a result, there are not enough locals participating in the morning alms, making it difficult for the monks to commit to their traditions. This is just one example of how tourism impacts their culture.

Being a tourist myself, I couldn't help but feel guilty. By paying for food and accommodation, I am supporting this city's transition from a quaint Laos village to a western tourist hotspot at the expense of locals, including these monks who I've decided are some of the most incredible people I've ever met.

But on the other hand, the growing tourism in Laos is a great thing for their economy. Lots of locals have left Luang Prabang, but many of the locals that have stayed have learned to adapt to and take advantage of the constant waves of tourists in their city and now enjoy a higher standard of living. By spending my money here, I'm also supporting the city's growth and its people. So I guess its good for those who take advantage of the change, but I lean in favor of the monks. Either way, it seems impossible to know whether you're having a positive or negative impact on a place when you're a tourist. The answer is always a bit of both.

We eventually ended up talking to the head monk of one of the temples and he invited us into his temple to meditate with his community of monks. We watched them do their chants, then we meditated with them for half an hour. It was a cool experience, but my inflexible legs were not pleased with half an hour cross-legged.

After Luang Prabang, we ventured to a couple quiet villages where we did some relaxing, some cave exploring (that badass below was our tour guide), and even played some bacce ball with a group of trashed rice farmers. All in good fun.
 

Again, the facebook album tell those stories better. Laos was really quiet and laid back, but now we've moved on into Cambodia which has been nothing short of chaotic. Update soon.
 

Akha Hill Tribes

After adventuring through Thailand, Chris and I stopped in Chiang Rai and met with Dr. David Mar Naw, a local doctor who runs free mobile health clinics in remote hill tribe villages in the Thailand's northernmost jungles. The villagers are refugees from Burma and not Thai citizens, meaning they don't have regular access to health care, education, etc and are therefore in need of assistance in those crucial areas. We spent 10 days in an Akha hill tribe village where we built toilets everyday and hung out with the local children at night. Building the toilets was tough work. We worked everyday from 6:30am to at least 5:30pm every day, some days going as late as 6:00pm. As long as the sun was out, we were working. It felt great to settle down in one spot and work at something after a couple weeks of adventuring, and it was especially great to be remembered by the villagers and kids (I visited this village back in May). The kids were by far the best part of the experience. Check out the facebook album for pictures and descriptions of the kids and the project, this blog is more about the take-homes.

Its great to see all the hotspots and wonders of a new place, but its sometimes even more fulfilling to gain perspectives on the social issues that plague an area. I feel like volunteer work really rounds out a travel experience and gives you a more full understanding of a new area of the world. I recommend it to any traveler. You can see the beauties and the pitfalls of a new area of the world, and sometimes searching for the pitfalls means you find the best hidden gems, like this Akha village and its incredible people.





Thinking back on the experience, there were two main things that really hit me so I feel like it makes sense to split this blog into two parts. The first is about the idea that living in underprivileged conditions gives a new perspective on the privileges in my life (sounds cliche, but read on and hear me out). The second is about Ja Too, the most amazing 10 year old kid who has had a big impact on me.

Change in Perspective

Living under a 'lower standard of living' has been a really perspective changing experience. Its best explained with an example, so I'll dive right into it. Food is obviously harder to come by in a remote jungle village. Doctor Dave brings food into the village to ensure his volunteers are well fed, but I was still eating considerably less than I'm used to while doing considerably more work than I'm used to (11 hour work days in hot Thailand weather). Under those circumstances, I had so much more respect for the food I was eating. It didn't matter so much when I didn't really like the food, it was food nonetheless and it gave me energy to work. That was enough to make me wolf down anything they put in front of me (including dog meat. Yes, that happened..)

After the hill tribes, when back in Thai society, I bought myself a well-deserved smoothie (which, by the way, are fantastic in Thailand and way wayyy cheaper). There was some awesome stuff in that smoothie: densely packed mango, banana, pineapple, sugar, yogurt. It was a friggin amazing smoothie and I thought about the goldmine of energy and nutrition I had just consumed. Then I just sat on my ass on a 6 hour bus ride listening to music and passed out on my hostel bed when I arrived at my destination. I kind of felt shitty about the fact that I didn't do anything productive after having such an energy packed meal, especially knowing that my hill tribe friends struggle to get wholesome nutritious food like that yet still work to build their own houses and grow their own food. And now I can't stop thinking about it when I eat. It makes me not want to ever overindulge in food unless I'm going to do something good and productive with the energy I get from it. I have more respect for food, and I feel really good about that.

But its not just food, I feel like I have more respect for a lot of my privileges. I feel more guilty if I don't use my privileges to do good, productive things in the world. After this experience, I feel this understanding instead of just knowing it. I've always known I live a privileged life compared to most of the world, but I've never really felt that understanding to the extent that I do right now. I've learned that there is a difference between just knowing something and actually feeling that understanding. The latter is a much more real and powerful understanding, the type of understanding that will actually motivate me to change the way I live my life. I believe these kind of understandings are best obtained through direct experience. Its not something I could get by reading books or statistics or news articles. The difference is the direct experience.

Ja Too, 'The Great One'

This is Ja Too. Not only do I think Ja Too is the most amazing hill tribe kid, he might be the most amazing 10 year old boy I've ever come across, which is saying a lot given the hundreds of 10 year old kids I've worked with in the past few summers at McMaster's Kids Camps.

Ja Too never complains, never goes over the top, and is so incredibly polite. Every day he would spend the long hours helping us build the toilets, always staying focused and only taking breaks when we did. He is so obedient, but its not a forced obedience. Ja Too has the kind of genuine obedience and determination that can only come from a sincerely well-intended person. And when there is time to hang out after work, Ja Too is right in on the fun. He's always down for an arm wrestle or a thumb war or a game of checkers and he spends the evening smiling and laughing. He is the kind of kid who is fun to be around and who's presence makes it more enjoyable for everyone else. He knows when its appropriate to be energetic and playful and when its appropriate to be focused and helpful. He has incredible natural discretion and a relentless great attitude- such rare natural characteristics for a 10 year old boy to have. That's why we called him 'The Great One' back in May.

Ja Too's life circumstances present WAY more obstacles than most kids back in Canada. His family is one of the poorer ones in a village that is way below the poverty line in a country that is considered as a developing nation. The villagers have next to no money, forcing them to be remarkably independent. They build their own houses and grow their own food, meaning Ja Too has always had responsibilities to help support his own family by helping build things and grow/gather food. Luckily, their village is close enough to Thai civilization that the kids have managed to find their way into elementary school, but Ja Too still has to leave his home for months at a time to live alone in a hostel to go to school. Also, Ja Too's parents aren't Thai citizens (they fled the border from Burma), meaning he isn't granted Thai citizenship and wouldn't be able to see a Thai doctor if he were to get sick. Even if he had citizenship, the cost of medical care is another unsurmountable barrier.

Ja Too is a perfect example of a kid who is born into poverty and underprivilege, but deserves every good opportunity the world has to offer. He is a way more amazing 10 year old boy than I was. He is a perfect example of social injustice. I had to say goodbye to this kid without even being able to tell him how amazing he is, I can only hope that someone else does. I swear this kids is gonna be head man of the village when he grows up.
 

The Community Feel

I've already written about the incredible community feel of the villages after visiting the Hill Tribes for a month in May. If you want to check that out, go to globalthailand2012.blogspot.com

Now that the Hill Tribe experience is over, we've hopped over the border into Laos. I'll save that for next time.

Thailand

Chris and I spent our first two weeks in Thailand. We flew into Bangkok, then took the northbound train up to Chiang Mai, stopping off for a few days at smaller Thai cities called Ayutthaya and Lop Buri. I've posted facebook photo albums if you're interested in checking those out. I would have uploaded photos and videos here but for some reason this pic of me and chris was the only one that worked.

Bangkok is a wild city, not really my atmosphere. There is lots to do, but its way to chaotic for me. Vehicles don't obey the rules of the road and everyone seems to be ok with that. We would often see cars dodging stopped/slow traffic by driving in the opposite lane against oncoming traffic. If you're a bigger car or you have more motorbikes in your crew, you can do whatever you want out there. And there are tons of motorbikes and little three wheeled rickshaw-like vehicles called tuk-tuks (cheap taxis) that pinch through whatever small cracks they can find through traffic.

The other thing that makes Bangkok chaotic is the amount of people that look at you and just see dollar signs. We were often treated like either Royalty or like ATMs, neither of which I'm comfortable with. On the one hand, you get people who treat you with an uncomfortable amount of respect and on the other hand you get people who harass you to buy their stuff or ride in their tuk-tuks. I'm talking aggressively try to convince you to give them your money. There are entire scam systems where a cheery man in a nice suit will stop you in the street and ask where your going, seeming really helpful. He'll line you up with a tuk-tuk driver who will only charge you about 20 baht ($0.60). But then the driver wont take you to your destination and instead drops you off at some promotion where salesmen will swarm you and try to convince you to buy their stuff, often by trying to guilt you into it. Its harmless, but very annoying and time wasting.

But in general, Thai people are very generous and welcoming- just not as much in Bangkok. Ayutthaya and Lop Buri were fantastic visits. We saw so many incredible ruins and played with monkeys. The pictures say more than words can. After playing with monkeys in Lop Buri, we took a 12 hour overnight train north across the country to Chiang Mai. There we went on a wild 3-day jungle trek. Again, the pictures say it all. We climbed over hills and swam in rivers, rode bamboo rafts and elephants. It was really off the beaten path. We slept two nights in the jungle in bamboo huts in two different villages, if you can call them that. The villages were really just one or two farming families that had built a few guest huts to make some side money off of trekkers.

After the jungle trek, we spent a couple days in Chiang Mai. Two highlights from this city were the monk chat and the muay thai gym. We walked around the city for a while and stumbled into a Buddhist temple where some monks were sitting around chatting. They could speak a bit of english, so we talked to them about Buddhism, their practices, and meditation. Really sweet conversation, those guys rock. Later that day we saw some people training in a muay thai gym on one of the main streets, so we went in a paid a few bucks to learn some muay thai. Those guys rock too. Needless to say, we learned a lot of cool things in a day.

That's whats so awesome about backpacking around a new country: you experience so many new things in such a short period of time and it makes two weeks feel like so much longer. Everything is new and exciting and if you have the right attitude about it and have the confidence to explore and try new things you can get so much out of it. Its so exciting to think I have so much time ahead of me. I recommend this kind of a trip to anyone.

And on top of that, you meet so many cool people. In university, I've been involved in orientation week a lot, working a lot with first year students in residence. I always preach this idea that residence is such an awesome place to meet people because everyone is in the same stage of life and everyone is like-minded, creating an atmosphere that is really conducive to making friends. Backpacking is really similar in that you live in hostels and meet people all over the world who are doing the same thing: traveling around to experience new things. We have often found ourselves spending entire afternoons and evenings with different people from all over the world who we just met. Its amazing!

Its cool to gain backpacker experience too. It's really challenging to navigate a country where everything is written like this "าสหกดฟ่าหกแป้แอสฟาหกดเาสฟหือ" and people can't speak your language. You end up having lots of awkward conversations where you just cant communicate and you sometimes have to play a bit of charades to get the message across. But as long as you approach an interaction with a genuine smile and positive body language you can't go wrong (I know that's super cheesy, but its the truth).

These last two weeks have been adventurous and we've been to a lot of different places. But we are traveling for a long time and we want to balance out the exploratory side of traveling by settling ourselves in a particular area and making some kind of contributions to a community. So right now we've met up with Dr. Dave, the Hill-Tribe docotr I volunteered with back in May (see globalthailand2012.blogspot.ca). We're going to live in Burmese Refugee Hill Tribe Villages for the next couple weeks where we'll be building some toilets and water supply systems. We're at Dr. Dave's place now in Chiang Rai, and tomorrow we have a bunch volunteers coming in from Singapore (42 in total) who we will lead in the building projects. Guaranteed to be an interesting experience. Will post again after that's all over! Until next time.

Brian